Peking Opera Cat: I Became A Zi's Brother

A day passed quietly, and when the afterglow of the setting sun cast a golden glow on Changzong City, the parade was almost coming to an end.

The cats on the street gradually dispersed, and the lively hustle and bustle slowly subsided, leaving only a few remaining ribbons and firecracker fragments to bear witness to the prosperity of the day.

"Ouch..."

Bai Tang and Wu Song were the first to return to the inn. As soon as Bai Tang entered the door, he shouted:

"I'm so tired. I've been asking so many cats today. My legs are almost broken and my stomach is growling."

"Matsuko, it seems you're not tired enough yet, you're still complaining!"

Wu Song leaned his whistle against the wall, rubbed his sore shoulders, and frowned slightly.

"Let's eat first. Only when we're full can we have the energy to think about today's affairs."

Not long after, Xiaoqing and Mingyue also came back. They both looked a little tired, but there was a look of thought in their eyes.

Xiaoqing sat down, raised her hand and rubbed her temples, and said:

"I chatted with a few elders today. On the surface, they answered every question I asked, but upon closer inspection, many of their words contained hidden meanings. They were vague on key points, clearly holding something back."

Mingyue nodded slightly and added:

"The guards around the elders were very wary of our inquiries. They stepped forward to stop us the moment we got too deep. Their behavior was very unusual."

"..."

Da Fei finally stepped into the inn. He smiled innocently, his face dusty.

"I've chatted with quite a few contestants, and they don't know much about what happens after the champions win. But one contestant whispered to me that after receiving the sect leader's true teachings, the previous champions' behavior became very strange, as if they were controlled by something. It sounds incredibly strange."

"Here it comes, here it comes, delicious food, braised meat is here..."

The inn waiter quickly brought the food, including fragrant braised meat, which was soft and tasty, and refreshing vegetable soup, which was steaming hot.

"Eat, why don't you guys eat? Then I won't be polite..."

But everyone was preoccupied and just took a few bites mechanically.

"Have you finished your sugar? Well, we should go..."

After dinner, all the cats gathered in Mo Zi's room.

"boom!"

Mo Zi closed the doors and windows, turned around, and said solemnly:

"Today I followed a suspicious guy out of the Zong Palace and led him all the way to a dilapidated house. I hid outside and heard them say, 'We can't let the Xingluo Squad ruin things.'

It seems the other party has noticed us, and they seem to have a major plan that they are afraid of being disrupted by us."

Bai Tang's eyes widened, and a hint of nervousness flashed across his face:

"Huh? How did they find us so quickly? What should we do next?"

Wu Song frowned, his fists unconsciously clenched, the knuckles turning white.

"What are you afraid of? If they find out, they find out. How can our Xingluo squad be scared by them? Today I saw some cats with empty eyes, driven by a mysterious force towards the east of the city."

"I followed them for a while, but then the cats suddenly sped up, swerving around in circles, and I eventually lost track of them. But I'm certain there's something wrong in the east part of the city."

Xiaoqing continued:

"I heard there's a secret passage beneath the platform. It's heavily guarded with sentries every three steps and guards every five steps. I pretended to be passing by and tried to get closer, but the guards immediately surrounded me with fierce glares, almost resorting to violence."

Mingyue nodded slightly and added:

"The rhythmic energy of the guards surrounding the passage fluctuates abnormally, carrying a veiled dark aura. It's very similar to the chaotic power I sensed before, but it's been deliberately concealed."

"Uh--"

Dafei scratched his head, trying hard to recall:

"I also heard that in addition to the sect leader's true teachings, this year's champion also has a treasure that can enhance his rhythmic power."

"But everyone is keeping this treasure a secret. When I ask them a few more questions, they just shut up. There must be a big secret behind this, perhaps one that's inextricably linked to Chaos."

Everyone was talking at once, piecing together the clues from the day.

Mo Zi pondered for a moment and analyzed:

"The situation is becoming increasingly complicated. Since they've set their sights on us, the area around the Zong Palace is undoubtedly heavily guarded. It's too dangerous to investigate further. Tomorrow, Dafei, Baitang, and I will be attending the Yachang Festival."

"During the competition, the three of us will look out for each other, paying attention to the judges, the contestants, and the layout of the competition venue. Maybe we can find some flaws."

Then, she looked at Xiaoqing and Mingyue,

"You two will continue to operate outside the arena and look for a breakthrough from the elders and guards. If you find any abnormalities, find a way to notify us immediately."

……

The next morning, the sun shone into the inn room early, dispelling the silence of the night.

The members of the Xingluo team got up early. The plan discussed last night weighed heavily on every cat's mind, making them dare not delay for a moment.

Mo Zi, Da Fei and Bai Tang went to the registration office of the Yachang Festival together.

Along the way, the streets were bustling with cat people heading to participate in or watch the competition.

Everyone's face was filled with excitement and anticipation, but Bai Tang and the others did not dare to let their guard down at all, their eyes constantly scanning the crowd.

"Wow……"

When we arrived at the registration office, there was already a long queue.

The cats in the team were either nervously tidying up their outfits or whispering about the songs they would be performing.

Bai Tang stood on tiptoe, looked ahead, and muttered:

"Why is the line so long? When will it be our turn?"

"..."

At this moment, a nimble black cat hurried past them and accidentally bumped into Bai Tang. The black cat didn't even apologize and quickly walked away.

"Ouch!"

Bai Tang almost fell down. After stabilizing himself, he shouted angrily:

"Hey! Why are you like this?"

Wu Song frowned, thinking that the black cat's behavior was very suspicious. He was about to chase after it, but was stopped by Mo Zi:

"Don't act rashly. Don't forget our main mission."

After a lot of effort, I finally got to the registration table. An old cat wearing glasses was sitting there with a thick registration book in front of him.

"Name, sect, and competition piece."

The old cat asked mechanically without even raising his head.

"Bai Tang, do Zong, "Song of the Heroic Cat"!"

Bai Tang answered loudly, and even puffed out his chest.

When the old cat heard the word "Zuo Zong", he raised his head and looked Bai Tang up and down, with a strange look in his eyes:

"It's rare for a cat from a sect to participate in the sect's singing festival."

Next is Dafei:

"My name is Dafei, and I sing the song 'Clouds of Hometown'."

The old cat nodded and recorded it in the register.

When it was Mo Zi's turn, she said calmly:

"Mo Zi, the master of the body, 'Walking in the Dark Night'."

Just as the old cat was about to put pen to paper, suddenly, a strong claw reached out and pressed down the registration book.

"and many more!"

Bai Tang and the others looked up and saw a huge orange cat with bulging muscles and a thick gold necklace around its neck. It was obvious that it was not a good person.

"Huh, you guys look very unfamiliar. Are you here to cause trouble?"

The orange cat squinted its eyes and looked at them with hostility.

Mo Zi looked calm, frowned slightly and said:

"We have come from afar to participate in the Yachang Festival and promote the culture of the Chang sect. I wonder if you have any suggestions?"

The orange cat snorted coldly:

"When will it be your turn as outsider cats to meddle in the affairs of the Chang Sect? I think you have bad intentions!"

"Yes, yes, why are there so many foreign cats?"

"I think he's just greedy for the Sect Master's rhythmic power..."

The surrounding cats heard the noise and gathered around, talking about it for a while.

"I've definitely never seen these cats before. Could there really be something wrong with them?"

"That's right, the Yachang Festival is a big event for our Chang Sect, and we can't let any chaos happen."

Bai Tang was so anxious that he jumped up and down:

"Don't talk nonsense! We are here to participate sincerely!"

Wu Song gripped his whistle stick tightly, took a step forward, and his aura suddenly increased:

"Don't bother looking for trouble here. We are upright and honest, and we are not afraid of your slander!"

The atmosphere suddenly became tense and a conflict was about to break out.

At this time, a skinny tabby cat saw that everyone's attention was on the quarrel, and secretly squeezed to the front from the side of the team, trying to cut in line to sign up.

A white cat at the front noticed it immediately and cried out angrily:

"What's wrong with you? Everyone is queuing, why are you cutting in line?"

The tabby cat said nonchalantly:

"I'm in a hurry, what's wrong with signing up first? Stop talking nonsense!"

"you……"

The white cat was so angry that its fur stood up. It stepped forward to argue with the tabby cat, and the team suddenly became a mess.

Some cats were trying to stop the fight, some were blaming the tabby cat that cut in line, and some were taking the opportunity to squeeze forward. The scene was a mess.

"alright!"

Seeing this, Mo Zi immediately shouted:

"Everyone, stop arguing! How can the Yachang Festival go on smoothly if the noise continues like this?"

Her voice was clear and loud, echoing like a huge bell in the noisy environment. For a moment, everyone fell silent and looked at Mo Zi.

"Bang bang bang!"

The old cat in charge of registration also stood up, tapped the table with the pen in his hand, and said sternly:

"Everyone, keep order! Anyone who cuts in line will immediately return to the back of the line. Anyone who causes trouble again will be disqualified!"

"Humph……"

When the tabby cat heard this, although he was unwilling, he could only return to the back of the team in shame.

The trouble-making orange cat, seeing that everyone's attention was drawn to the queue-cutting incident, temporarily put away its hostility, snorted unwillingly, turned around and squeezed out of the cat group.